


The Hopper Family

by OTTSTF



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 23:03:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16293563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTTSTF/pseuds/OTTSTF
Summary: One big family, formed of five. Joyce, Jim, Jane, Jonathan and Will. All but two sharing the Hopper name.That needs fixing.





	The Hopper Family

**Author's Note:**

> Holy mother of Duffer, I am alive.  
> Yet another sudden random idea into my head whilst a tonne of others are swimming around but I have no idea how to work with any of them (please send help).

There are many things that make Will Byers happy.  
In a list, his top three are as follows:

Spending time with his friends.  
It doesn’t matter what they’re doing. Whether it be a game of DnD, time at the arcade, having fun with El’s abilities (much to Mike’s original annoyance, before the girl had assured him that she’s having fun too), or simply laying back to watch a film; he loved spending time with them all.

Spending time with El.  
The two of them clicked very easily, with their shared experiences and mutual exhaustion from it all. He’d went on about how thankful he was; how he’ll always owe his life to her, before she’d shut him up with a tight hug, telling him how happy she was to finally meet him, alive and well.

They bond a lot over their troubles; helping each-other through things when they feel down. Whenever Mike isn’t there to help her, Will always does a fantastic job at helping her, and vice-versa.

But most importantly comes his mother’s happiness.  
After everything she’s done for himself and his brother, Jonathan, and after everything she’s been through, even before the whole Upside-Down vacation of his, all she deserves is all the happiness the world can give her, and nothing less.

So, you could just picture his face as he watches his mother walk down the isle, towards the man who he will soon be proud to call his father. That man, to nobody’s surprise, is Jim Hopper.

The smiles on both of their faces as rings are exchanged, vows are said, and ‘I do’s are announced, are far too infectious for Will. Finally, his mother seems free again. Free of the torment that Lonnie had left behind, free from the fear of Will being unwell, and free from the fear that the Upside-Down might come to haunt them again.

And sure, that last fear never truly leaves any of their minds. But with each-other, it can be shoved right to the back, where it can be ignored for as long as possible.

  


  


A week following, and things have been great. He and El are officially siblings, they’ve all got a great father figure, and everybody is happy. There’s just one thing that comes to Will’s mind that he thinks would perfect their new family.

As, after all, that _is_ what they are, now: one big family. His mother, Hopper, Jonathan, El, and himself. And what’s one thing that a family should share?

_Their name_ .

“What made you think of this?” Jonathan asks Will when he brings it up to him.

“Well, a few things, really.” Will responds. “I mean, we’re all a big family now, so I think it’d be nice if we shared the same last name as everyone else. We’re the only two Byers here.”

Jonathan nods his head, understanding Will’s point.

“And it’d be nice to _purge_ that name from this family, if you ask me.” Will adds, earning a loud laugh from Jonathan whilst he nods his head.

Loud enough that it summons the man in question.  
“What’s going on with you two?” Hopper asks them, poking his head through the door.  
The boys glance at each-other, communicating through their gazes whether they think now is a good time to pop the question.  
Jonathan nods.

“Can we speak with you and mom? We’ve got something we want to ask you both.” Jonathan tells the man.

“Uh, of course?” Hopper eyes them curiously. “Whatever’s on your minds.”

  


  


So here they are, all sat together  as Jonathan explains their question.  
“We’re all a family now, we’re all happy together, under one roof, as great as can be… but there’s one thing that Will and I still think needs fixing.”

“What’s that, honey?” Joyce asks, looking both curious and worried as she does.

“We’re still Byers.” Will begins their point.

“You three are Hoppers, but Will and I are still Byers and it’s kind of… outcasting.” Jonathan continues.

“You’re basically our father now, which is great.” Will states to Jim. “So we’d both love to share the Hopper name too.”

A silence lingers between them for a moment; all three of the Hoppers glancing between the two boys.

“You want to change your last names?” Joyce asks for confirmation.

“Yes.” Jonathan confirms, nodding his head with Will. “We just think it’d be nice if we were all labelled as the one family rather than have our last name separate us from you three. Not to mention, we’d love to purge _this_ name from us.”

That statement earns a snicker from both Joyce and Jim, both of them having to agree with their wish to purge the Byers name from their family and forget Lonnie entirely.

“So, we’d like to be Hoppers.” Will states one last time. “You know… if it’s okay with you.”

The man’s eyebrows raise at that final sign of hesitation, and as he glances to Joyce, he sees the answer in her eyes: She’d love it too.

So at that moment, he rises from the sofa. Opening his arms, he gives the boys a simple order:  
“Come here, you little shits.”  
He practically yanks them both into a fatherly hug, patting both of them on their backs.  
“I’d _love_ to share my name with you both.” the man tells them.  
“ If that’s what you want, we’ll make it happen.”

  


And so, after explaining the process, making sure they _really_ want to go through with it, it was done. Out were Will and Jonathan Byers, in came Will and Jonathan Hopper.  
Gone is the memory of the failure father, in comes truly belonging to the new family.

El is probably happiest of all, being able to truly call them her brothers without anything to say otherwise. The rest of the party are beyond happy for them, agreeing that the idea was a good one.  
Will and Jonathan now feel like they truly belong in the family, but if anyone else truly feels that, it’s El.

To think that she was once just a number, no more than a lab rat to be experimented with, to then be given a real home, initially by Mike, then Hopper. She’d gone from knowing nobody, not knowing how to speak much at all and only knowing the sterile walls of a lab, to being part of a full family. A father, a mother, two brothers and herself. Add to that having a party full of amazing friends, not to mention her boyfriend (being able to call Mike that will _never_ be less awesome), and if anyone truly feels like they finally belong, it’s El.

Out is Will Byers, also known as Zombie Boy, fag, fairy, so on. The one who’s father used to taunt as queer no longer has to share that name. In is Will Hopper.

Out is Jonathan Byers, also known as quite the creep thanks to some _regretful_ photography sessions.  
In is Jonathan Hopper.

And, now long gone, is Eleven. No longer does she worry whether goons from the lab will try to capture her again (Dr. Owens has assured her, many times, that she is completely safe from such). No longer is she the weirdo of the group. Sure, she still has her abilities, but everyone who knows her loves her for who she is, and outside of them, she’s gotten very good at holding back her powers. She’s in school, seeing her friends every day, becoming more and more a normal person each and every day.

All of them belong in their family, which is what they all are, really. The Hoppers, the party, hell, even Steve, are all one huge family. They’re all there for each-other, helping each-other through whatever may come their way.

And they couldn’t be happier.

**Author's Note:**

> Man, the beginning and ending feel all over the place, but whatever ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
